New insect to patrol apple orchards

Hawkes
Bay, New Zealand. 1 November 2012...New Zealand pipfruit
growers are enhancing their management options for one of
the key pests for the pipfruit industry – the codling moth
– with the release of a new biocontrol agent.

Plant &
Food Research scientists, with support from Pipfruit New
Zealand, have been investigating the potential for Mastrus
ridens, a small parasitoid wasp, to control the codling
moth, one of the major pests affecting the New Zealand
pipfruit industry. Following EPA approval, field appraisal
will take place over the next few years to measure the
effectiveness of the wasp as a long term biological control
agent. The first release in commercial orchards, of 1,000
individuals, has been/will be made in Hawke’s Bay
today/this week.

“Codling moth is a major issue for the
pipfruit industry, with control of the pest costing between
$8 and $12 million each year,” says Mike Butcher,
Technical Manager of Pipfruit New Zealand. “Whilst the
presence of a single moth in a shipment can impact on market
access for all New Zealand apple exports to codling moth
sensitive markets, the industry is also focused on reducing
the use of chemical pesticides. This ultimately means we
must find new ways to control pests, and the introduction of
the Mastrus wasp as a biological control agent is an
important new component to our system that currently
includes mating disruption, a codling moth specific virus
and selective chemistry. This release is an important step
in meeting quarantine requirements for our premium
markets.”

The Mastrus female attacks the cocoons of
codling moths, laying its eggs on the moth larvae. When the
wasp larvae hatch, they feed on, and eventually kill, the
codling moth larva. They then emerge as adult wasps to
disperse and seek new codling moth larvae on which to lay
their eggs.

“Biological control agents, such as
parasitoid wasps, play an increasingly important role in
controlling pests as chemical interventions are reduced,”
says scientist John Charles from Plant & Food Research.
“This species, which originated in Kazakhstan, has been
established in other countries, particularly in the USA, for
control of codling moth, and these initial releases in New
Zealand will help us to determine how well they survive in
our environment and control the pest.”

The Mastrus wasp
was approved for release by the Environmental Protection
Agency in June, and thousands have since been reared in
captivity.

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